Chapter 230 It's time to leave
Last night, Song Chunxue went to sleep first.
The Taoist priest scalded the pheasant, plucked its feathers, and removed its internal organs before going to sleep.
Therefore, they enjoyed a delicious meal of pheasant meat at noon.
Just as they were gnawing on pheasant meat, Li Dazui leisurely walked into the yard.
"I thought you guys had left today. Why didn't you leave? Were you working too hard in the fields the other day and almost died?"
As he spoke, Li Dazui sat down on the platform outside the house. "You guys are amazing! You've finished planting so much land in just five days. Are you out of your mind?"
"I heard Zhao Yufang and Li Tang talking about you two rascals this morning, saying that you almost wore out their donkey."
Song Chunxue tried to stand up, but suddenly slumped back into her chair.
My legs hurt so much.
This reckless farming method is truly inhuman.
"Since you're here, come inside and sit down. I caught a pheasant yesterday, it's very plump, have a couple of pieces."
Li Dazui remained seated. "I just finished three bowls of glutinous rice and I was so full I couldn't sit still, so I came out to visit. You guys eat. By the way, when are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow," the Taoist priest took out a piece of meat, squatted on the counter, and handed it to Li Dazui, "try my cooking."
He held a large chicken foot in his hand, gnawing on it as he said, "Our legs hurt so much we can't walk. The fourth brother doesn't want to get out of bed and is eating while lying on the kang (heated brick bed)."
As he spoke, the Taoist priest suddenly chuckled to himself.
"This is the first time in my life that I have ever felt such pain from farming that I have to grimace every step. I didn't feel this pain when I was squatting in a horse stance on the mountain back in the day."
Squatting was too uncomfortable, so the Taoist priest simply sat down on the ground.
Seeing how approachable he was, Li Dazui didn't refuse and slowly ate his chicken while chatting with him about this and that.
After finishing her meal, Song Chunxue went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, then climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and fell asleep immediately.
If she had known she wouldn't be in such a hurry to leave today, and had saved up a little strength the past two days, she wouldn't have suffered such a severe blow to her health.
She had several dreams during that sleep.
She could clearly hear Li Dazui chatting happily with the Taoist priest, and it seemed like there were other people coming, but she was just too sleepy to open her eyes.
She slept for a long time before suddenly waking up from the kang (a heated brick bed), the room much dimmer than before.
I overslept, I overslept, I haven't packed my things yet.
She quickly put on her shoes and went into the yard. It was quiet outside, and the two puppies were fast asleep on the sun-warmed steps.
Where did the fourth senior brother and the others go?
Song Chunxue was flustered and couldn't tell what day it was.
Could it be that she went back again, and that she's been living in a dream all along?
I walked around the courtyard; it was eerily quiet, and the entire village was almost silent.
What are you looking for there?
Song Chunxue immediately turned around and exclaimed joyfully, "Senior Brother!"
"Where did you go? Where's Lao Si?" Her heart sank. "I've been asleep for so long, why didn't anyone wake me?"
Master Zhang gestured for her to come inside, saying, "You just woke up, why are you being exposed to the wind? Let's talk inside."
Once inside the house, Song Chunxue realized that someone had indeed come to visit. Xia Mulan's aunt, Xia Ying, seemed a little worried and had brought her some crispy pork lard cakes.
Li Dazui was clever and knew that Xia Ying was afraid that now that the Jiang family had bought a house in the county, they might not want Sanwa to marry Xia Mulan in the future.
The fourth brother and Li Dazui reassured Xia Ying, but she still didn't believe them. Finally, the Taoist priest said that Sanwa and Xia Mulan were a match made in heaven, and only then did she go back.
Knowing that Song Chunxue had been too tired these past few days, I didn't wake her up.
The fourth son came in from outside and immediately asked with a smile, "Mother, do you know what the Taoist priest did last night?"
"Where did you go? Weren't you just wandering around?"
The Taoist priest remained silent and did not stop them.
"The Taoist priest personally came to warn those who had previously tried to climb over the wall."
The fourth brother was overjoyed. "The Taoist priest also said that he went to win people over with virtue. I've never realized before that the teachers in the school were all liars. This is what winning people over with virtue means. I've learned so much, hahaha."
Song Chunxue looked at the Taoist priest with a surprised expression, "Senior brother, is what the fourth brother said true?"
The Taoist priest corrected, "In my opinion, there are several kinds of winning people over with virtue. As for those scoundrels, using courtesy first and then force is also considered winning people over with virtue. In short, once they are subdued, that's enough."
“Otherwise, after we leave, the boss alone won’t be able to keep an eye on everything inside and outside this courtyard.”
Song Chunxue excitedly pressed on, "So how did you convince people?"
"I asked them if they would dare to do it again. When I sensed something was off about their tone, I told them that I had studied both righteous and evil arts. If they still dared to have any crooked thoughts, I would do what Chen Feng's father did: bury some talismans that would absorb their luck, so that no one would know and their descendants would suffer misfortune for hundreds of years."
As he spoke, the Taoist priest took a sip of tea.
Song Chunxue scratched her itch with impatience, "Senior brother, stop keeping me in suspense, and then what?"
"Then they knelt down before me and promised not to bully my junior brother's family again. They even had the audacity to ask to buy a lucky charm. I told them that if they behaved themselves next time I came back, I would give them one."
Seeing her senior brother's nonchalant attitude, Song Chunxue was extremely grateful.
She stood up. "Thanks to my senior brother for thinking things through so thoughtfully, he is truly my great benefactor and savior. I have no way to repay him..."
“We’re in the same boat, it’s just that we’ve helped each other achieve our goals. After meeting my junior brother, I’ve also gained many unexpected things.” Master Zhang stood up and said, “Alright, pack your things, we’ll set off tomorrow morning, I’ll cook dinner tonight.”
The fourth brother, who seemed to be deep in thought, saw that the Taoist priest had already stepped one foot across the threshold and couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Taoist priest, are you afraid that after my mother says she has nothing to repay me with, she will offer herself to me?"
"..." Master Zhang paused, turned to look at the fourth brother, "Why should I be afraid?"
"Then why did you interrupt?" The fourth brother looked at him calmly.
"You brat, making fun of your elders, are you asking for a beating?" Song Chunxue picked up the broom beside her and stepped forward. "If you continue to be so disrespectful, I'll break your legs."
The fourth brother ran out of the house with a laugh, patted the Taoist priest on the shoulder with both hands, and said, "Don't be angry, Taoist priest. I used to be good at talking back in school. I was just teasing you."
He jumped off the platform and ran to the main entrance. "Who wants the Taoist priest to always look like he wouldn't panic even if the sky were to fall? It makes one wonder what he looks like when he's furious."
Master Zhang stroked his smooth beard. "You brat, you're asking for a beating, aren't you? Come learn to draw talismans with me, and you'll see how furious I can get."
"..." Suddenly, the fourth brother remembered the scene of the Taoist priest teaching his mother to draw talismans. He quickly ran away, "No, no, I'm going to dig up potatoes."
Digging potatoes?
Song Chunxue hurriedly said, "No need, no need, I'll take the potatoes. You feed the livestock first, and I'll take a few bags. We can't take all of them. We'll come back and get them after we've finished eating them."
"knew!"
Song Chunxue breathed a sigh of relief; there was some of her secret stash of money in the potato cellar.
Not only the potato cellar, but also the chests behind the kang cabinet—those were the most valuable items in the house.
The Taoist priest saw her expression but didn't point it out. He turned around and went to the kitchen to cook.
He wanted to eat steamed rice, and it was quite delicious.
After the meal, everyone went back to their rooms to pack their things. Song Chunxue moved the cabinet on the kang (heated brick bed) and put the gold she had collected earlier into a bundle.
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